Week of April 16, 2026
Week of April 16, 2026
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The number of cruise ship stops in Petersburg is down again this year, continuing a trend that has seen the town’s port call count slip from around 110 in 2022 to 85 scheduled for 2026. But local travel agents say the picture on the ground is more stable than the numbers initially suggest. The drop in stops this year is due to the closure this winter of Sitka-based, Allen Marine-owned Alaskan Dream Cruises. Its fleet, the Alaskan Dream, Admiralty Dream, Baranof Dream and Chichagof Dream, carried between 40 and 80 passengers each and have...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously Monday to support House Bill 78, legislation that would restore a defined benefit retirement option for Alaska public employees and teachers — and added language calling on the Legislature to reject an amendment that critics say would burden local governments. Resolution 2026-10, passed at the April 13 regular assembly meeting, expresses the borough’s support for HB 78, which would allow employees in the Public Employees’ Retirement System Tier 4 and Teachers’ Retirement System Tier 3...
A recent round of improvements to the Wright Auditorium has brought the Petersburg performance venue's technical capabilities to the next level - and a longtime volunteer behind the scenes says the upgrades are already changing how productions come together. Dave Berg, who has handled lighting and technical operations at the auditorium for decades, said the project took shape about a year ago when he convened the venue's primary user groups - the school drama club, the Mitkof Mummers and the...
When Fire and EMS Director Aaron Hankins signed up a team of Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department volunteers for a pediatric CPR competition at the annual Southeast Regional EMS Council symposium in Juneau last month, he told them they would thank him later. Petersburg's EMS volunteers didn't just win the competition - they swept the field which included some far more experienced EMS professionals from bigger cities in Southeast. But for Hankins, EMS Coordinator Ryan Gilkey, and the volunteers...
A return trip to Petersburg last week on Sunrise Aviation granted a view out the window of LeConte Bay and the terminus of the LeConte Glacier shimmering in the silver light of...
1926 – There are no issues in the archive until May 19, 1926. Thank you for your patience. April 13, 1951 – Adolph Mathisen’s new boat, the Harmony, is a beautiful addition to the Petersburg halibut fleet. The Harmony is a 48.9 foot boat with a 14.7 foot beam. It was originally built for Gundar Iverson at Port Angeles and Mathisen powered it with a General Motors diesel. It has 26-ton net capacity, galley above deck and is equipped for both halibut fishing and seining. Mathisen went south just before Thanksgiving and has been working...
Petersburg Medical Center announces a call for artists’ proposals for artwork to be installed in the new Wellness, Education and Resource Center (WERC). This facility is completed and currently open to the public. PMC invites artists to submit completed pieces and/or proposals for custom pieces that are inviting and stimulating, contemporary, and generally represent the people of Petersburg, the area’s nature-based environment, and Petersburg’s unique history. The deadline for proposals is May 31, 2026. Artists may submit up to three... Full story
This sedimentary rock, a natural history artifact, was found near Port Camden on Kuiu Island and contains the fossilized imprints of alder (Alnus sp.) leaves. Fossilized alder leaves in Southeast Alaska are identified by their simple, ovate-to-elliptical shape, sharp double-toothed margins and pinnate veins. Alder leaves, along with birch and willow, are common fossils found in the sedimentary rocks that lined the shores of historic water bodies throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Cenozoic-age...
The Holy Cross House of the Petersburg Lutheran Church was full to capacity on Saturday afternoon for the 11th annual Spring Tea hosted by the Pioneers of Alaska The event is a fundraiser and all proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Pioneers' scholarship for graduating Petersburg High School students heading to trade school or college. Participants - many of the young ones dressed as butterflies and princesses - socialized at tables they decorated themselves, enjoyed a selection of dozen teas...
Viking Swim Club had a dominant performance this past weekend at the Savannah Cayce Southeast Championships. The team claimed a second overall finish as a team with a total of 1151 points. "A lot of swimmers swam best times. To keep doing that at every meet, is pretty awesome for them," head coach Derek Gibb said. Cyrus Hulebak continued his record-breaking season with another club record in the 100 breaststroke at 1 minute and 1 second. Trygve Marohl got first place for high point award in his...
The community got to see the hard work and training of Mitkof Middle and Petersburg High School Native Youth Olympics athletes on display during the NYO Showcase this past Friday and Saturday. Middle school has been practicing since the second week of February and high school since mid-January in preparation for the two-day event which included 11 total events such as Dene Stick Pull, Alaskan High Kick, One Foot High Kick and more, as well as 18 athletes between middle and high school. While it...
The Petersburg High School Baseball team began their season at Sitka, in a preseason tournament this past weekend. Results weren’t the main priority during this tournament as much as experimenting and putting what they’ve been working on in practice out on the field against another opponent. The team had a lot of success stealing bases with at least one person on the team stealing a base. In the Vikings game against the Kodiak Bears, the team had five stolen bases and Petersburg junior pitcher Tanner Caulum had three himself. “It’s...
Alaskans in November will decide for the third time on ranked-choice voting. They approved it in 2020, rejected an initiative in 2024 to repeal it, and now will vote this fall on another repeal initiative. The opponents are persistent, and they are good at raising money to run petition signature drives. But that doesn’t mean they are right. The successful 2020 ranked-choice ballot measure made big changes for the better in the state’s election laws. It eliminated partisan primaries in favor of an open primary, where the top four...
To the Editor: Last fall, 2025, adverse weather held me out of town and I missed the [Friends of the Library] book sale. But I did make it in time to find two big blue recycle tubs outside the Library. My first thought was, ‘I hope this isn’t what I think it is?’ Lifting the lid I found my worst fears were true. Both blue tubs, filled to the brim with unsold books, from a three hour ‘Buy Period.’ Unsold and now shipped off to be shredded and pulped. Now, after the April 11th book sale, two more blue tubs are filled with unsold...
Merlita "Merle" Raposas Honma, 82, passed away on December 4, 2025, in Petersburg, Alaska. Her loss is felt deeply not only by those who loved her most, but by the entire Petersburg community she graced with her kindness, generosity, and unwavering faith. Born on September 1, 1943, in Sinait, Ilocos Sur, Philippines, to Rosalina and Cirilo Raposas, Merle was raised with values rooted in family and the simple joys of life. She immigrated with her family to Kauai, Hawaii, at just three months old... Full story
April 8 – There was a report of a deceased deer in a yard on Wrangell Avenue. An illegally parked vehicle abandoned on S 2nd St. was impounded. An alarm activated at Pump Station #4. Water Wastewater (W/WW) was notified and responded. An ATV driver on Sing Lee Alley was issued warnings for driving the wrong way on a one-way street and an expired registration and told not to drive the ATV on the streets until properly licensed. An officer responded to a non-criminal disturbance on S 3rd St. An officer responded to a reported disturbance on S...
Petersburg Pilot... Full story
Notices published in the Petersburg Pilot and all of Alaska's... Full story
